Upcoming Events
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DC Chamber of Commerce Policy Forum
"Health Care Costs, the Workplace and Tort Reform"
Monday, February 8
4:00pm to 7:30pm
Ronald Reagan Building Amplhitheater
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Our MSDC President, Dr. Peter Lavine, has been invited to speak as the tort reform specialist. Click Here for more information on attending the forum.
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2009-2010 Board of Directors
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Stuart F. Seides, MD
At-Large; Chair of the Board
Peter E. Lavine, MD
President; AMA Alternate Delegate
Frederick C. Finelli, MD
President-Elect
Joseph Gutierrez, MD
Treasurer; AMA Delegation Chair
Robert W. Keisling, MD
At-Large; Secretary
Carlos A. Silva, MD
AMA Delegate
Laura L. Tosi, MD
At-Large; AMA Alternate Delegate
James C. Cobey, MD
At-Large
Julian R. Craig, MD
At-Large
John W. Larsen, MD
At-Large
Joan B. Loveland, MD
At-Large
Reginald Robinson,MD
At-Large
K. Edward Shanbacker
Executive Vice President
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MSDC Staff
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K. Edward Shanbacker
Executive Vice President
Barbara Allen
Director of Member Services
Rose Smith
Controller
Christopher W. Lee
Associate Director of Membership and Communications
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Contact the MSDC Office
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1115 30th Street, NW
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 466-1800 (phone)
(202) 452-1542 (fax)
info@msdc.org
www.msdc.org
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Forward this issue of eNewsline on to a fellow physician!
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MSDC Members on the Move to Assist the Haitian Relief Effort
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 The need for medical assistance in Haiti has been broadcast globally, and MSDC members have answered the call. Through local fund-raising efforts and donations, much needed financial support is on the way to Port-au-Prince. But that's not all that's shipping to Haiti. Dr. Lise Van Susteren, an MSDC member, will be traveling to Haiti in the next few days to help coordinate the medical relief effort that is so desperately needed in the devastated country. She is also open to having other MSDC members join her in the aid mission to Haiti. If you are interested in donating your time, knowledge and skill to the people of Haiti, please contact Chris Lee at lee@msdc.org for more information. If you would like to support the Haiti relief effort in any other number of ways, please visit the Pan-American Health Organization, the American Medical Association and the Center for International Disaster Information.
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From AMA Federation News: Physicians Must Urge Senators to Pass Legislation to Repeal the SGR
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All physicians are urged to contact
their U.S.
senators and insist that they pass legislation to repeal Medicare's sustainable
growth rate (SGR) formula.
The U.S. House of Representatives
passed legislation last year to repeal the SGR, and now the Senate needs to act.
When senators resume floor action tomorrow, Jan. 20, they are expected to take
up legislation dealing with the federal debt limit extension and other issues.
This will provide a window of opportunity to get Congress to pass a repeal of
the SGR.
Physicians may not ever get another
opportunity like this to deal with the SGR. If they haven't weighed in yet on
the debate occurring in Congress about what to do about Medicare physician
payments, they need to do so now, before the decision is made for them and
legislation is drafted.
Physicians can contact their
senators by using the AMA's toll-free grassroots hotline at (800) 833-6354 or
visiting http://www.capwiz.com/ama/issues/alert/?alertid=14549456&type=CO
to send them an e-mail.
Physicians can remind their senators
that with the threat of annual cuts: - Seniors grow more concerned about
losing access to the physician of their choice-a problem that will only grow as
baby boomers start to enter the Medicare system.
- Military families-both active and
retired-rely on a stable Medicare payment system to keep their insurance,
TRICARE, stable.
- Resolving the problem now is the
fiscally responsible course to take. Relying on past methods of postponing the
immediate crisis will only increase the cost of a permanent repeal. Congress can
no longer afford to kick the can down the road.
Visit http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/399/hsr-sgr-briefing-points-5jan2010.pdf to view an
AMA briefing document about the need to repeal the
SGR.
Visit http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/399/sgr-flyer.pdf to view an
AMA flier urging physicians to act.
Visit http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/health-system-reform/resources/bulletin.shtml to view the
latest issue of the AMA's Health System
Reform Bulletin, which includes updates on the AMA's latest advocacy
efforts. |
MSDC Joins with Atlantic Health Partners to Offer Discounted Vaccines to Members
| The Medical Society of DC has recently partnered with Atlantic Health Partners, a vaccine purchasing organization, to provide Society members a new discount on vaccines provided by Sanofi Pasteur and Merck. Atlantic Health partners offers pediatric, adolescent, adult flu and travel vaccines through their program, and can also assist you with pre-booking Sanofi's Fluzone influenza vaccine.
Jeff Winokur and Cindy Berenson are the primary contact persons at Atlantic Health Partners, and can be reached at (800) 741-2044 or at info@atlantichealthpartners.com. For more information and details about Atlantic Health Partners, please click here.
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Patient Hand-Offs: What's the Big Deal?
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Information exchanged
during hand-offs includes pertinent data such as the patient's demographics,
current status, pending labs and radiology scans, medications, procedures, and
the future plan of care. In addition to the concern for the smooth transfer of
patient care, physicians should also be aware of the potential for disastrous
legal consequences if something goes wrong during this exchange of information.
Malpractice lawsuits
stemming from failed patient hand-offs often result in two defendant physicians
pointing fingers at each other. This perpetuates contradictory testimony and
permits the plaintiff's attorney to drive a wedge between the defendants which
often results in a plaintiff's verdict. As we know, communication breakdown is
a leading cause of medical malpractice cases.
Communication problems
were the primary cause of 65 percent of sentinel events between 1995 and 2004,
according to The Joint Commission. Moreover, in 2005, The Joint Commission
found that 70 percent of sentinel events were actually caused by communication
breakdowns, half of which occurred during patient hand-offs.[1]
As a result of these startling figures,
The Joint Commission called upon hospitals to implement a "standardized
approach" to hand-offs or risk losing their accreditation.
The Joint Commission has
not told hospitals exactly how to effect quality hand-offs, but has recommended
a "standardized" approach. The hospital or organization must define,
communicate, and implement a process where patient information is communicated
in a consistent manner. Standardization provides a means to educate staff about
the process and helps support consistent implementation throughout the
hospital. Ideally, the hand-off process should be similar throughout the
hospital, but practically, the hand-off process may differ from one setting to
another. A standardized approach should identify:
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The specific hand-off
situations to which it applies;
- Who should be involved
in the communication; and
- What information should be communicated (e.g.,
diagnoses and current condition; recent changes in condition or treatment;
anticipated changes in condition or treatment; what to watch for; and
opportunities to ask and respond to questions-ideally, in person).[2]
The Joint Commission's
standardized approach is applicable to the physician office setting, as well.
In an effort to improve hand-offs, physicians
and hospitals have looked to other industries-such as the airline and nuclear
power industry-to learn how to standardize communication in patient care. Tools
such as forms and checklists are often used in the hand-off process (e.g.,
standardized referral forms or letters in physicians' practices). In
conjunction with good, interactive communication, physicians and other
caregivers involved in hand-offs should have good working relationships built
on trust and teamwork-not hierarchical status.
Risk Management for Effective Hand-Offs
- If possible, communicate directly with the
physician who is assuming care of the patient; permit time for interactive communication,
and questions and answers;
- Have access to appropriate medical information
(not just your notes on the back of a napkin, for example). The patient's
medical record will likely contain answers to questions you may have;
- When appropriate, conduct hand-offs at the
patient's bedside at the hospital. This is especially effective in the emergency
department or intensive care units (permitting the oncoming physician to obtain
a complete picture of the patient, and allowing the patient and family to be
involved in continuity of care);
- Ensure important
patient information is exchanged in both verbal and written form; and
- Create a team environment among caregivers, so
as to foster an environment in which opinions and observations are freely
exchanged.
Copyright © 2009
ProAssurance Corporation
Author: Marta Garrett, BSN,
JD, Risk Management Consultant
[1] Patient Handoffs, Runy, Lee Ann, Hospital and
Health Networks at hospitalconnect.com (Last accessed 2/19/2009).
[2] Hand-off Communications MPSG.02.05.01, The Joint
Commission, www.jointcommission.org (Last accessed, 2/17/2009). |
| Medical
Society Continues to Address Physician Drug Dependence Issues |
By Peter Cohen, M.D. Chair, MSDC Physician
Health Committee
Drug dependence, a
disease that afflicts all members of society, does not spare physicians.
The Physician Health Committee of the Medical Society of the District of
Columbia (PHC) plays an important role in assisting physicians who suffer from
this illness. The PHC's role in
intervention, monitoring, and advocacy, is vital both for public welfare and physician
health. Education of the general public and medical community is an integral
component of the PHC's activities.
Members of the PHC are available for "outreach" programs
aimed at individual practitioners, hospitals, medical staffs, credentialing committees,
medical negligence carriers, and the general public. We hope that all affected (and potentially
affected) groups will take advantage of this important mission.
To continue reading this article, please Click Here.
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Introducing the DCRx Prescription Drug Discount Card Program
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As
a physician of Washington, DC, you and
your patients have access to a FREE Prescription
Drug Card program. The Medical Society is
pleased to offer the DC
Rx CARD. Your patients can save up to 75% on prescriptions, selected eye-wear, vitamins
and other products. The card is accepted in pharmacies in the District, Maryland and Virginia.
The Medical Society of DC has received a shipment of these cards and have 250 cards available to each Society member who requests them. Please e-mail Chris Lee at lee@msdc.org and ask for the cards for your patients.
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